


The Shadow Soldier

by Hailhydration



Category: Captain America (Movies), Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: AU, Alec is Hawkeye (obv), Alternate Universe, Angst, Clary is Black Widow, Crossover, F/M, Izzy is the Winter Soldier, Jace is Captain America, Light Angst, Luke is Fury, M/M, Magnus is Dr.Strange, Maia is Falcon, Malec, Raphael is Maria Hill, Saphael, Valentine is Pierce, Winter Soldier AU, clace, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:03:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8158255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hailhydration/pseuds/Hailhydration
Summary: Straightening up, she turned to face him and time stopped. The delicate features, the bold curve of her lips, the unmistakable shape of her chin. The name slipped out of his mouth before he had time to analyse anything.“Izzy?”“Who the hell is Izzy?” Aka the Winter Soldier AU nobody asked for.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [that_queer_one](https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_queer_one/gifts).



> My awesome friend PsychoMorgan came up with this idea....it sort of escalated into this. I hope you like it! Thanks for reading:)

Jace swung his shield at the figure in black, hitting her squarely in the face. With anyone else the blow would have been enough to knock them out, but the soldier simply took one step backwards before lunging at him again. Her body was solid but petite, the formfitting black leather suit only emphasizing this fact. But with each blow from her small hands Jace felt the air knocked out of him. She moved fast and confidently, no doubt in her features, no hesitation in her footing.

Clary had warned him that the shadow soldier had been trained with her at the red room, that the elusive assassin was the best of her kind, but nothing could have prepared him for the speed and agility that his opponent moved at. She seemed to dance through her punches, and fought with a sort of grace that he hadn’t witnessed for a long time.

Her dark hair swung freely around her face, a blurred halo as she attacked. She was relentless, meeting each blow he inflicted with one of her own, knives seemingly appearing in her hands as she span. She didn’t hesitate in plunging the blades into his torso, splotches of blood appearing against his t-shirt. The wounds were shallow and quick to heal even as he battled.

After a particularly hard blow against the stomach sent her stumbling backwards into a van Jace momentarily hesitated, his old fashioned morals coming into play as he viewed the soldier, who despite everything was still, after all, a woman. But as she quickly leapt up again, a new knife twisted around her fingers, he remembered the same figure shooting at Clary and Maia, and anger overtook his thoughts.

He launched himself at the van, a knee connecting with her lower stomach and a fist already in the air. She raised her arm to block him and he used the position to flip her onto the ground, where she at once used the situation to her advantage and fitted her metal hand around his neck. It tightened automatically and Jace felt his throat starting to cave under the pressure. As his hands clung desperately to her arm he raised both his feet off the ground and pushed forcefully against her chest. A high pitched grunt followed the movement as her hand dropped from its position. Hastily rolling down and out of her arms Jace span and gripped her shoulders, one hand against her face as he flung her body to the ground.

She hit the pavement hard, the bottom half of her mask dropping off as she rolled to a crouch facing away from him. Straightening up, she turned to face him and time stopped. The delicate features, the bold curve of her lips, the unmistakable shape of her chin. The name slipped out of his mouth before he had any time to analyse anything.

“Izzy?”

Her eyes (How could he have not recognized those eyes?) widened fractionally and for a moment Jace was sure that her lips formed a J, before she reached for her dropped gun and levelled it at him.

“Who the hell is Izzy?”                                     

Just as she was about to fire a shape rushed through the air and Maia appeared like an Angel, pushing Izzy to the ground and landing next to Jace, who was still frozen in the same place, eyes locked onto the woman he thought he had lost so long ago. She pulled herself to her feet and once again those dark eyes were wide and troubled, before she turned and disappeared into the traffic, leaving Maia holding Jace up and Clary leaning weakly against a car. Jace stared at the spot where his sister had been standing, even as cars poured into the area and the three were surrounded by men.

“Drop the shield Cap! Get on your knees!” Sebastian shouted at him, the one person in the group of agents without a mask on. He obeyed dully, not struggling as he was handcuffed and dragged into a waiting van. It was only when they were all in the back of the vehicle that he spoke again.

“It was her.” He said in a flat voice. “She looked right at me, and she didn’t even know me.”

Maia, always reasonable and calm was the one who replied. “How’s that even possible?” She asked. “It was 15 years ago, you saw her killed in the battle against Valentine.”

“She was older.” Jace spoke, staring into the air in front of him as he remembered. “Izzy’s whole squad was captured by valentine before the shadow war. He experimented on her. Whatever he did must have helped Izzy survive the fall….They must have found her…”

“None of that’s your fault Jace.” Clary interrupted, her voice exhausted but still warm and trusting.

Jace looked down, shaking his head. “Even when I had nothing, I had Izzy.”

Clary didn’t reply, but a small groan caused Maia to look at her worriedly, noticing the wound on her shoulder.

“We need to get a doctor in here.” She called to the guard. “We don’t put pressure on that wound? She’s gonna bleed out here in the truck.”

A sharp sound cut through the air as one of the guards powered up their weapon and hesitated before plunging it into their companion’s neck, causing him to lose consciousness. A moment of silence passed before they pulled their helmet off and Raphael was revealed to the trio.

“Dios” He drawled, completely at ease. “That thing was squeezing my brain.” A beat, before he inclined his head towards Maia. “Who’s this girl?”

…..

Safely at the base, a literal ‘underground’ institute, Jace was careful to lift Clary out of the van gently, wary of her injured shoulder. They were greeted by a medic who immediately ran towards Clary as Raphael shouted orders.

Unwilling to let go of his careful grip on Clary quite yet, Jace was glad when Raphael brushed off the medic and led them to a brightly lit room. Inside was a temporary sickbay, with a single pristine white bed surrounded by equipment. Raphael marched into the room confidently, his trademark smirk not wavering a bit, even as the rest of the group stood stock still while staring at the patient in the bed.

“About damn time.” Luke’s voice cut through their silence, the ‘dead’ director of shield not looking at all surprised by his visitors, even giving Maia a smile. Clary’s gasp of shock mixed with pain from her shoulder finally prompted Jace to surrender her over to the eager medic, who led her to a chair nearby. The rest of the group gathered around Luke’s bed as he rattled off a (very long) list of his injuries.

As soon as he had finished talking Clary leapt in, her voice still shaky. “They cut you open. Your heart stopped.” She stated. And then quieter, with a heartbroken expression. “I was there.”

If Luke notices he doesn’t acknowledge it, simply explaining. “Tetrodotoxin B. Slows the pulse to one beat a minute. We found a use for it.”

Jace can’t help the natural defence of Clary he feels as he snaps at the director. “Why all the secrecy? Why not just tell us?”

It’s Raphael who answers, a sharp reply obviously meant to defend their actions. “Any attempt on the director's life had to look successful.”

Luke gives a slight chuckle, sounding far too cheerful in the tense atmosphere. “Can't kill you if you're already dead.” And then he raises his eyes and looks at Clary directly for the first time before continuing. “Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust.”

The small, involuntary cry she gives at that statement is filled with anguish and betrayal. It causes Jace to leap into action, ushering everyone, even an oblivious Raphael out of the room to give Clary and the man who she loved like a father some privacy.

Maia, who had been sympathetically silent the whole time, then requested a tour from Raphael, who sullenly obliged. It was not til they had spent a few minutes walking that someone flashed across Jace’s mind and he suddenly stopped walking, causing a disgruntled Maia to slap into his back.  
“What is it?” She asked crossly.

“Alec. I need to tell Alec. He has to know.” The words repeated themselves like a mantra as he ran back into the room where Clary was talking to Luke. With a slight acknowledgment to the director Jace rushed to Clary’s side and took her hand.

“We need to contact Alec.” He said urgently, and watched as understandment flashed across her features.

“Of course.” She said gently, already pulling her communicator out and requesting to be patched through to ‘Hawkeye’.

It was not Alec’s voice that reached Jace’s ears first, but rather Magnus’, demanding who dared interrupt the ‘mighty Dr.Strange’ and his husband, but Jace couldn’t even smile as he took over the communicator and demanded to talk to Alec.

“Please. I need him. It’s about Izzy. She’s…she’s _alive_.”

….

A rainy street, cars passing by and people walking along the pavement. Underground, a bank vault fashioned into a cell packed with heavily armed Circle agents. The soldier sits, only lightly restrained, while two scientists work on her damaged arm. She is aware of the procedure, has sat through it before and will sit through it again. However this time her mind is not carefully blank and obedient. One word, and one face, occupy its entirety. The soldier does not remember faces. The soldier does not remember words. The soldier does not remember anything.

But something is there, like a page that has been glued down. A corner has become unstuck and suddenly the soldier longs to tug at it so that she can read the whole page. Just one page. So she sees the loose corner. And she pulls.

 _“Agent Lightwood.”_ The voice causes the soldier’s head to rip forward and to the side, but still she pulls.

_A train. A fight. Snow. Then hanging on. A man, so familiar. “Izzy! NO” Then falling, so far. Screaming. Landing, no gentle arrival. Lying on the ground. So cold. Dying. Then a man through the fog. Being dragged. So much blood. Blacking out. Waking in a cold room. Being operated on. “The procedure has already started.” A saw, so loud in her ears. Her arm, no longer numb, but burning with pain._

Like she’s been punched, the soldiers head spins as she temporarily lets go of the page. Then determinedly, instinctively, she takes hold of it again.

_“You are to be the new fist of The Circle.” Surrounded by people. So much white. Terror. A heavy weight on her side. Metal, so smooth and cold. A silver hand when she wraps it around their throats. “Put her on ice.” Then cold, so much cold. Ice crawling up her body. Trying to escape. Enclosed. Helpless._

It’s this moment that brings her back to the present. She is not helpless. The light restraints break easily as she swings her fist towards the working scientist. Anger pulses through her, an alien feeling that leaves her panting hard and defensive. Every agent in the room has stepped back and pulled out their weapons. The two scientists are cowering in the corner fearfully. And the soldiers head is screaming, full of unfamiliar emotions.

She hears his footsteps before she sees him, smells his blood before he passes the guards. “Sir? She’s unstable, erratic.” He bypasses their warnings and enters through the gates.  The moment the agents see him they shrink into themselves, almost imperceptibly, fear, not respect, evident on their faces.  He gestures for them to lower their weapons confidently, maybe even lazily. Then finally, he turns and faces the soldier, calmly placing his glasses in his pocket.

“Mission Report.” It’s not a question, and not a statement. Like his entire body suggests, it’s a command. But the soldier looks at the man in front of her, and recognises him. Not as her leader, but as her enemy. He’s older than he was when she remembers him, lines chalk his face and grey mars his hair. But she recognizes him nonetheless. _Valentine._

“Mission report. Now.” His voice is louder, stronger. But still the soldier sits unresponsive, eyes open as she stares at nothing.

He steps closer, into her space. _Enclosed._ He raises his hand and slaps her against the face. _Helpless._

Through the haze the soldier forms words. “The man on the bridge.” _The face comes clearly into her mind again, the word he spoke ringing through her head. Izzy?_ “Who was he?”

Valentine doesn’t move, his eyes don’t leave her face as he responds. “You met him earlier on another assignment.

The soldier ducks his head, removes his gaze from Valentines as he replies. “I knew him.”

It was the wrong answer, the soldier realises this as Valentine sighs and sits down. “Your work has been a gift to mankind. You shaped this century, and I need you to do it one more time. Society is at a tipping point between order and chaos. Tomorrow morning we're gonna give it a push. But if you don't do your part, I can't do mine, and HYDRA can't give the world the freedom it deserves.”

The soldier knows he’s not speaking for her benefit. He never does. And this time, the screaming inside her head pushes away all rational thinking as she speaks again.

“But I knew him.” She smiles as soon as she says it, a sad, broken, _helpless_ smile. Wrong answer.

Valentine gestures to the cowering scientists. “Prep her.”

One of them dares to utter a protest, their voice small and shaking. “She's been out of cryo-freeze too long.”

He is answered with a bored gaze and a lazy drawl. “Then wipe her and start over.”

The soldier doesn't struggle. The screaming in her head turns into screaming from her lips before the silence falls over her mind and she sits still. Inside her head there is nothing. She looks towards her commander.  
"Soldier?"  
"Ready to comply."

....

  


Jace hung up with a sigh, fresh tears on his face. He turned around to find that everyone had gathered together and appeared to be planning. They abruptly stopped talking when they registered his gaze, Clary leaping up, ready to support him. For a moment he longed to pull her close, instead he brushed her hands off and asked what the plan was.

If Clary was hurt, she didn’t show any sign as she explained. The plan was solid, plausible. Now that they knew the full extent of the Circle’s strategy, and who they had on their side, the odds were finally in their favour.

“Alec and Magus are coming.” Jace confirmed with a short voice. “Ironman and Hulk are still off the grid, so it’ll be just us.”

At that Clary smiled, and timidly started to raise her hand before rolling her eyes at herself and cutting into the conversation. “What about Simon?”

Jace was unable to stop the scoff that escaped his mouth as he replied. “What, spiderkid? He’s just a boy, he’s far more likely to be a liability than anything else.”

Luke frowned at Jace’s tone before turning to Clary and putting his hand on her shoulder. “I trust your judgement.” He said gravely. “If you think Lewis will be of assistance you have my permission and encouragement to contact him.”

Clary grinned, Jace groaned, and to the surprise of everyone, Maia and Raphael leapt up.

“Simon Lewis?” Maia asked, incredulity in her voice. “I know him well. I’ll give him a call.” She turned to reach her phone, but was stopped by a strong grip on her arm.

Raphael glowered at her, before slowly, with exaggerated moves, pulling his own phone out and unlocking it. “ **I’ll** call him.” He said firmly.

Jace regarded him with a strange expression, before shaking his head and smiling, just a tiny curve at the sides of his mouth. Still, it was the first time he had felt anything but anger or numbness since he had recognized Izzy, and Clary noticed this and grinned. The smile was gone in a moment, replaced with his usual glower. He turned to Luke, and established direct eye contact.

“Just one more thing.” He said quietly but decisively. “We're not salvaging anything. We're not just taking down the carriers, Luke, we're taking down the entire Clave.”

Luke frowned at him, eyes narrowing slightly. “The Clave had nothing to do with it.”

Jace raised his chin, not breaking eye contact and not hesitating. “You gave me this mission, this is how it ends. The Clave’s been compromised, you've said so yourself. The Circle was right under your nose and nobody noticed.”

At this Luke grunted, a curious sound between a groan and a scoff. “Why do you think we're meeting in this cave?” He gestured to their imperfect surroundings. “I noticed.”

Jace wasn’t deterred in the slightest, as he fired back “And how many paid the price before you did?”  
Luke seemed to shrink unconsciously as he replied. “Look, I didn’t know about Isabelle.”

Fire seemed to spark in Jace’s eyes even as he held their connection. “Even if you have, would you have told me? Or would you have compartmentalized that too? Clave, Circle, it all goes.”

The following silence is broken by Raphael hanging up on his call and turning back to the group. “He’s right.” He announced, proving once again his unnatural ability to listen to everyone at once.

Luke found himself the recipient of four steady gazes. He glanced desperately at Clary, then Maia.

“Don’t look at me!” She protested. “I do what he does, just slower.” She gestured to Jace before returning her hands to her hips, a small smile on her lips.

You could see the moment, feel it in the air, hear it in his exhale as Luke gave in and helplessly lifted his hands in the air. “Well... Looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain.”

Jace inclined his head slightly, accepting the silent apology Luke had given him. “Damn Right.”

………

It had been half an hour since Jace had announced his presence over loudspeaker and The Circle’s deception had been bought to light. The shots had started from that moment and it seemed that they hadn’t stopped since. Clary and Magnus had accompanied Valentine into the meeting room, Magnus’ magic disguising them both as members of the council. Raphael had taken his usual place, organizing the team and keeping a watchful eye on them all. Maia and Simon had teamed up (to the disgruntlement of Raphael, who spent a fair percentage of his time checking on them), working together to disarm one of the helicarriers. Jace and Alec had naturally teamed up to take care of the other two.

“Stay together.” Raphael directed Alec and Jace. “You’ve got a squad coming right at you. Should be viable in 5, 4, 3, 2….”

Alec let the arrow fly and watched unemotionally as it landed and the resulting explosion took out the first row of Circle agents. He didn’t need to even look at Jace to anticipate where he was and where he would be next. They worked together flawlessly, each able to hold their own but ready to assist the other.  

Jace, who had never learnt the definition of subtlety, took no qualms to hide himself as he ran down the runway and took out anyone who neared his path. Alec followed behind, leaping from vantage point to vantage point, bow armed and ready to stop enemies. Because of the height, it was Alec who saw her first, and just the sight of her face, clear of any mask or goggles this time, was enough to shake him. His momentary distraction was enough time for the soldier to fire a grenade at him. The sound woke him up from his faze and he leapt down, rolling into the landing and starting to run.

There was only one card left to place, and no matter what, they could not fail at this mission. So Alec ran, diving against Jace as the soldier took aim. The two brothers communicated without words and together they pressed themselves behind a pile of boxes before observing. Izzy walked like she had always walked, decisively, strongly, unrelentlessly. She didn’t pause as she marched, shooting at Clave agents who had ran to assist the two. Her face was carefully clear of any expression, and her features showed no weaknesses.

For a moment it looked as if she would walk right past Jace and Alec, and they allowed themselves to breathe freely. Then suddenly she appeared, above them, rifle pointed straight at Jace’s head. They didn’t have a second to react before webbing shot out of the sky and Simon appeared swinging around the corner. He waved at the two huddling brothers, who face palmed reflexively.

The Soldier analysed the situation and, coming to a decision, threw herself off her perch and towards the ground. Simon’s eyes went wide as he followed her path and collided with the tar of the runway. He moved to quickly raise himself, and found himself face to face with a ghost. The natural sunlight behind the soldier’s body framed her head and highlighted the grim lines of her face. She raised her metal fist and brought it down against the unmoving Simon. His last sight before he surrendered to the darkness was an arrow hurtling towards Izzy.

Alec mentally died as he watched the plain arrow pierce his sister’s skin. It sunk in cleanly at the joint between her suit, a perfect shot. It was also a perfect shot as the solider automatically fired her firearm at the man. It hit him directly above his heart, in the visible curve of his shoulder. The shock forced him to loosen his hold on his weapon, a perfect opening for two more shots to his body. Wrenching the arrow out of her flesh, the soldier didn’t hesitate to fire again, watching uncompassionately as his body grew stiff and he fell to the ground.

Magnus, his job of guarding Clary as she worked growing increasingly boring, glanced out the window just in time to see his husband lying motionless and a clearly distraught Jace rush to his side. Numbly registering the blood pouring out of Alec’s body, Magnus screamed.

….

“On your left.” Jace blinked dazedly as he attempted to take in his blurry surroundings. The first thing he registered was Maia, her smile directed at him. No one else was in the room, however as he moved to sit up Maia stood up and gestured for him to wait a moment. He druggedly obeyed and watched as she slipped out of the hospital door, reappearing a moment later with Clary, Simon and Raphael in tow. They crowded around his bed, excepting Raphael who simply stood back and observed.

Clary was the first to reach him, throwing herself against his side and burrowing into his body. Jace opened his arms to her, hiding a wince as he held her. Simon stood at his side and doggedly took his hand and shook it. Maia simply stood by him, a hand securely on his shoulder.

They all fit together so nicely that it took Jace a minute to realise the absentees. When he did the hazy memories forced themselves into his head and a rush of cold fear and terror flooded his body.

“ _Where’s Alec?”_ He gasped, his throat unwelcomingly dry and his voice raspy. He remembered Alec lying, unnaturally white against the black of the runway, Magnus appearing out of nowhere to cling to his body and himself, abandoning them to run after his sister’s form.

Now he sat upright and clenched his jaw, looking each of his friends in the eye and demanding answers. It was Clary who answered him, warm against his side as she recounted the facts.

“He’s still recovering.” She said quietly. “Magnus did what he could, but for now we can only wait.”

Jace shook his head as if to clear it. “Wait for what?” He asked. “Magnus is magic! He’s okay, right?”

Clary covered his shaking hand with her own. “He lost a lot of blood. Magnus could only do so much.”

Jace felt his body grow numb as he registered her words. He closed his eyes in defeat and took a momentary break in the cool darkness it provided. When he opened them again, Raphael was staring at him, as sympathetic a look as he could give on his face.

“I’m sorry, Captain.” He said quietly. “But I need to know what happened on the hellicarrier. We found you on the bank of the river, heavily wounded, with no sign of the Shadow soldier. We need to confirm what happened to her.”

Jace cast his mind back to the hellicarrier, flashes of the scene passing through his head.

_…please don’t make me do this…. You’re my sister…. I’m with you til the end of the line….falling, hitting the water and sinking into it…a hand through the darkness…_

“She escaped.” He said quietly. “She’s gone. Again.”

And silently, echoing in his mind.

**“I failed her again.”**


End file.
